


Leaving Lake Mithrim

by Beleriandings



Series: Tales of Lake Mithrim [4]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-19
Updated: 2013-09-19
Packaged: 2017-12-27 02:05:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/973011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beleriandings/pseuds/Beleriandings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fingon has an unexpected conversation as he is leaving to find Maedhros.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leaving Lake Mithrim

He left the camp by the light of the moon. It was strange, this new light, thought Findekáno. It was brighter than starlight, but it had a different quality to the light of Telperion. Flatter, and more uniform. He drew his heavy wool cloak closer around him nervously, pulling the hood down to hide his face. If anyone saw him leaving, they would undoubtedly try to stop him, and his father would find out, and then he may not get another chance.

He had packed quickly and lightly, carrying only the bare minimum; a little food, (there was little enough to go aound anyway) a flask of water, a few spare clothes, his sword, his bow and quiver of arrows, his long sharp hunting knife. On an impulse, he had also strapped his small harp to the outside of his pack as he left. It was light enough, and music had cheered them on the Ice. So much so that both he and Findaráto had got into the habit of carrying musical instruments with them. It was a habit, Findekáno guessed, that would prove difficult to break. And maybe when he found Maitimo, and they escaped together, a little music would do them both good, he thought. He stopped himself before he could think any further than that.

The camp was almost deserted. A few guards patrolled the borders, pacing the shores of the lake. But he could easily pass for one of them, with his face covered, and they were mostly turned the other way, looking across the lake to the opposite shore, where a few glimmers of firelight were just visible in the clear night. He felt a sharp stab of anger at the sight, and quickened his pace.

He turned to the road ahead of him, leading out of the camp. The road had been made by the comings and goings of his own people, but was really little more than a dirt track. There was a small thicket of trees up ahead, which would provide at least a little cover. But as he reached its outer edges, a bright figure seemed to loom up out of the darkness, the moonlight reflecting off its pale cloak and hood. Findekáno shrank back in alarm. But the figure seized his arm, with surprising strength. His hand was just darting nervously to the sword at his belt, when the figure laughed a very familiar laugh.

“Irissë?”

She threw back her hood and smiled sweetly.

“Irissë… what are you doing here?”

“I might just as well ask you the same question.” She was still smiling, but the muscles in her face were tight with worry.

“I was…” Findekáno faltered. He had thought of several cover stories about why he was outside at this hour, in case of encounters with the patrols, but he knew none of them would fool Irissë. Her sudden appearance had caught him off guard.

“Don’t worry, Findekáno, you don’t need to think up some silly excuse, I know _exactly_ where you’re going.”

“You… you do?”

“Yes. You’re going to rescue Maitimo, of course. In all honesty, I thought you might have left before now. I worried I might miss you.”

Findekáno passed a hand over his face, feeling rather weak and stupid. His journey was over before it had begun.

“Does anyone… who else knows?”

“Oh, no one, I should think. Father is too busy to pay much attention to such things. And Turukáno…” her voice cracked. Their only remaining brother spoke very little these days, and his eyes had a hollow look. Findekáno got the feeling that every day was a struggle for Turukáno, that he was clinging onto existence and sanity only for the sake of little Itarillë. And their father… he was so full of anger, a burning light behind his eyes that sometimes seemed like the only thing that drove him on.

Irissë broke into his thoughts.

“May I advise you to take more care when creeping around trying not to be seen?”

He snorted.

“You’re one to talk! At least I’m not entirely dressed in white!”

“And yet, I still managed to scare you. Honestly, you should have seen your face! And anyway, I’m not the one trying to leave under cover of darkness, without saying goodbye!”

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. She spoke as if they were back at home, as if they were children again, and she had caught him trying to escape from his lessons.

“Why are you here, Irissë?”

“I told you. To say goodbye.”

He stared.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell them you’re going. But I knew you would, as soon as I saw the expression on your face when you found out that Maitimo was taken.”

She was clever, his sister, he thought. Perceptive too. She was able to read people much more easily than most gave her credit for.

“Why?” he asked simply.

Her words came in a rush, her voice thick and clumsy now. “I.. I wanted to protect you, of course I did. We couldn’t save Arakáno, none of us could, but I could have protected you, I could have stopped you. But you would hate me, and you would fade away, thinking of the things that could have been. It’s happening to Turukáno already, the might-have-beens are destroying him. He needs something real, and I couldn’t give him that… but I thought maybe I could give you this chance.” She drew in a slow breath, trying to steady herself, as if unsure whether she should continue. “And also… if it helps… I would have done exactly the same thing in your position.”

Findekáno didn’t know what to say. He had never heard his sister speak like this before.

“I will never hate you, Irissë.”

“Promise me one thing. Don’t die. I won’t lose another brother. Don’t get yourself killed doing something stupid and heroic.”

He smiled bitterly and put his arms around her, clasping her tightly to his chest.

“I promise. I will come back to you safe and well and I will bring Maitimo back with me, and… and Turukáno will be happy again, and father will be happy again, and everything will be better. I promise.” He whispered the words into her hair. Both knew that they were promises that he was unlikely to be able to keep, but they were what she wanted to hear, what she needed to hear.

They stood like that for a long while, each wondering if they would ever see the other again. Eventually Irissë extricated herself from her brother’s arms, and pulled his hood down a little further to hide his face, before neatly replacing her own hood.

“Go on. Go and do some stupid, heroic deeds. I’ll make something up if anyone notices you’ve gone, which should at least give you a headstart.”

“Look after Turukáno and Itarillë. And father too.”

“You know I always do.”

He sighed and looked up at the sky. Leaving had seemed like the easy part, not so long before. But she gave him a little encouraging push along the path, and it was enough. He strode away, determination in his step. But he couldn’t help looking over his shoulder as he walked. There she still stood watching him, a rapidly diminishing figure like a pale cutout against the darkness, bright in the moonlight. He quickly pointed his gaze forward again, lest his resolve fail. When he next turned around to look, she was gone.


End file.
